Latest news with #JacquelineKennedy
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Fall: The White House Historical Association to Offer Official Ornament of America 250 celebration, marking Anniversary of America's Independence
Special Edition Ornament is also the Official 2026 White House Christmas Ornament, revealed earlier than ever before! WASHINGTON, May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House Historical Association will offer the Official America 250 Ornament as part of a nationwide celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Official America 250 Ornament will represent the White House's connection to America's independence and will be revealed and available for presale this fall. The Official America 250 Ornament will also serve as the Association's Official 2026 White House Christmas Ornament. America 250 is the national, nonpartisan organization charged by Congress to lead this once-in-a-lifetime commemoration. Its mission is to create the largest, most inspiring, and unifying commemoration in the nation's history, providing an opportunity for all Americans to come together and reflect on our shared heritage and future as a nation. This fall, the Official America 250 Ornament can be purchased alongside the Official 2025 White House Christmas Ornament which celebrates 150 years of White House State Dinners and social diplomacy. The Official America 250 Ornament will be made in America, and proceeds will further the Association's mission to promote a deeper understanding of the Executive Mansion — not just as the home of each president, but as a cornerstone of the American story. The Association's acquisitions, preservation, research, and education efforts continue through generous private donations and the sale of its published books, products, and the Official White House Christmas Ornament. This fall, the Official America 250 Ornament can be purchased online, in stores, and select locations where official licensed America 250 products are sold. This fall, purchase online at or at these Washington, D.C. retail locations: The People's House: A White House Experience, 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 The White House Visitor Center, 1450 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 Mayflower Hotel Pop-Up Shop, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 For wholesale inquiries on how to become an official reseller of this ornament with exclusive discounts, please visit: For inquiries on how to utilize this ornament for fundraising with exclusive discounts, please visit: Global Icons is the exclusive licensing agency authorized to represent the official America250 trademarks, logos, and assets. All products and partners are reviewed and approved by to ensure alignment with the initiative's values and messaging. About The White Historical Association The White House Historical Association was founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to support her vision to restore and preserve the Executive Mansion and its legacy for generations to come. Mrs. Kennedy sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has contributed more than $115 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The White House Historical Association
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Gisborne clubbies named in NZ surf lifesaving teams for international competitions
The Junior Black Fins squad includes Midway's Jacqueline Kennedy and Ella Sutton. The Pathway team feature Midway's Tyron Evans and Sophie Petro, Waikanae's Seven Mapu and former Wainui and Waikanae athlete Jack Keepa, who now competes for Omanu in the Bay of Plenty. Surf Life Saving NZ (SLNZ) has also announced a youth squad and two other Pathway teams to compete in the Battle of the Tasman on the Gold Coast from August 28 to 30. Sutton is in the Youth team; the White Pathway team includes Petro and clubmate Jack Lepper; and the Grey Pathway team includes Midway's Yahni Brown and Evans. 'The Black Fins boast a rich legacy of success, including multiple world championships and consistent top-two finishes at the International Surf Rescue Challenge since its inception in 1937,' SLSNZ high performance sport manager Tanya Hamilton said. She highlighted the strength of this year's Black Fins squad. 'The wealth of experience within this team will undoubtedly elevate the new talent and place the Black Fins in a strong position to secure victory at the International Surf Rescue Challenge. 'It will be a super-proud moment to see the teams compete in front of a home crowd.' Hamilton said the transtasman event catered for athletes deeper into the performance pathway. 'This competition on the Gold Coast aims to prepare athletes for the Lifesaving World Championship format, the pinnacle event in lifesaving sport. 'It's an exciting year for lifesaving sport, with so many athletes having the chance to compete on the international stage,' Hamilton said. 'Exposure to global competition and the experience of performing under pressure will strengthen our sport and the wider lifesaving movement and keep New Zealand competitive on the world stage.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Photos show how the White House's decor has changed over the years
The Oval Office has been expanded, renovated, and redecorated several times throughout US history. Donald Trump decorated the Oval Office with gold furnishings and artifacts from his first term. Truman renovated the State Dining Room in the '50s, and Jacqueline Kennedy restored it in the '60s. The White House has 132 rooms, and each new US president gets $100,000 to redecorate them. With every new president comes new design choices, often reflecting their values and political views. In his second non-consecutive term, President Donald Trump has furnished the White House with his signature opulent taste, adding gold detailing throughout the Oval Office. Here's how notable White House rooms have changed over the years. The Oval Office is the president's formal work space. The office's oval shape was inspired by the shape of the Blue Room on the first floor, according to the White House Historical Association. It was completed in 1909 under President William Taft. The Oval Office was designed by architect Nathan C. Wyeth. A fire destroyed much of the West Wing in 1929, so President Herbert Hoover restored and expanded it in 1930. Among Hoover's upgrades was the Oval Office's first telephone. President Franklin D. Roosevelt redesigned and moved the Oval Office in 1934. Roosevelt expanded the West Wing to accommodate more staff. The Oval Office was moved to the southeast corner of the White House, which had initially been a laundry-drying yard. He also added details like a ceiling medallion. The ceiling depicts the Presidential Seal. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy had the Resolute Desk restored in 1963. The Resolute Desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. President Gerald Ford added his own touch with a burgundy color scheme and striped couches in 1975. Striped sofas were a popular furniture trend in the '70s. President George H.W. Bush's Oval Office redecoration included a new rug with a gold Presidential Seal, new drapes, a coffee table, and two tall armchairs. The armchairs on either side of the Resolute Desk, dating back to Hoover's time in the White House, were reupholstered in blue. First lady Nancy Reagan designed a new Oval Office rug for her husband, President Ronald Reagan. The rug featured olive branches along the border and sunbeam designs around the presidential seal in the center. President Bill Clinton had a new blue rug and gold curtains installed. The rug was made by The Scott Group of Grand Rapids, Michigan. President George W. Bush preferred neutral tones for his Oval Office rug. The new gold rug featured a sunbeam design. President Barack Obama added red curtains, striped wallpaper, and a new rug also made by The Scott Group. The rug featured the Martin Luther King Jr. quote: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' During his first term, President Donald Trump reinstalled Clinton's gold curtains, lay down Ronald Reagan's rug, and added a portrait of President Andrew Jackson. Jackson's treatment of Native Americans, including the signing of the Indian Removal Act, has made him a controversial figure. President Joe Biden removed Trump's portrait of Andrew Jackson and hung one of FDR, a progressive who guided the country out of troubled times. In addition to Roosevelt, the wall featured portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton hung together to symbolize the benefits of different opinions. Biden's Oval Office also included busts of fellow progressives and activists showcased throughout the room: Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, and labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. When Trump returned to the White House for his second term in 2025, he brought back the portrait of Jackson and the Reagan rug. Trump also reinstated a red button on the Resolute Desk that summons a Diet Coke and added the flags of different branches of the military around the room. He also added gold embellishments throughout the Oval Office. Trump added additional portraits to the Oval Office walls, replacing Biden's central portrait of Roosevelt with one of George Washington. He added custom gold furnishings to the fireplace and the wall behind it and chose gold pieces from the White House collection to sit atop the mantle. Further gold details included gold coasters on the tables and gold trim around the oval ceiling's crown molding. The Blue Room is where presidents receive guests. The oval shape dates back to President George Washington's practice of holding levees, formal greeting receptions inspired by English court, according to the White House Historical Association. FDR used the Blue Room as his temporary office while the Oval Office was being remodeled in 1934. By 1940, Roosevelt cleared out and returned to the Oval Office. During Kennedy's presidency, the Blue Room displayed various antiques and paintings. It also featured striped wallpaper. Heavy blue curtains covered the windows in the 1970s. The striped wallpaper was replaced with dark blue. When Hillary Rodham Clinton served as first lady, she unveiled a renovated Blue Room in 1995. The room was remodeled after the Committee for the Preservation of the White House recommended that it be refurbished. Most notably, the blue wallpaper was replaced with yellow wallpaper during the renovations. The Blue Room isn't just for ceremonial greetings. In 2001, President George W. Bush met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair there before addressing the nation in the wake of September 11. The Blue Room is particularly festive during the holidays. For the Obamas' first Christmas in the White House in 2009, the Blue Room was adorned with an 18-foot high Douglas fir illuminated with LED lights. The Blue Room houses the official White House Christmas tree. In 2021, first lady Jill Biden decorated the tree with doves carrying a banner with the names of every US state and territory. The State Dining Room is where the White House hosts state and holiday dinners, as well as the occasional meeting. The menu is usually chosen by the first lady. The State Dining Room was green during President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency in 1904. Roosevelt expanded the State Dining Room during the 1902 White House renovation and added a moose head to the walls. The design stayed largely the same until President Harry Truman renovated the entire White House in 1952. The renovation cost $5.7 million, according to the Truman Library Institute. Jacqueline Kennedy restored much of the White House, including the State Dining Room, in the early 1960s. She conducted a tour of the newly restored White House that was watched by more than 80 million Americans on television in 1962, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. During the Reagan presidency, the State Dining Room was decorated with yellow drapes and red tablecloths. Back when Clinton was the governor of Arkansas, he spoke at the White House in the State Dining Room in 1987. The State Dining Room was filled with pink flowers to welcome Australian Prime Minister John Howard in 2006. It featured a cream-colored carpet and matching curtains. A funky purple tablecloth with green chair cushions brightened up the State Dining Room in 2012 during Obama's presidency. The tables were set in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to the White House. The Stat Dining Room can transform into a performance space with mood lighting. The State Dining Room was dramatically lit in purple in 2015 for a post-state dinner reception for the prime minister of Japan. Trump was the first president since the 1920s to not host a state dinner during his first year in office. He did host two state dinners during his presidency: President Emmanual Macron of France in 2018 and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia in 2019. Biden used the room for meetings and formal events, but he didn't host a state dinner until almost two years into his time in office. During Biden's presidency, the State Dining Room featured the same curtains and rug from the Trump administration. For his first state dinner in 2022, Biden hosted French President Emmanuel Macron in a glass pavilion on the South Lawn of the White House. The event featured a performance by Jon Batiste and a menu including Maine lobster and crème fraîche ice cream. Throughout history, the halls of the White House have displayed a variety of presidential portraits. In 1926, under President Calvin Coolidge, the Entrance Hall featured a portrait of President William Howard Taft painted in 1911. President Gerald Ford's portrait, located in the Cross Hall of the White House, was draped in black curtains after his death in 2006. The practice of draping black cloth around the White House after the death of a president dates back to President James A. Garfield's death in 1881, according to The White House Historical Association. During the Obama years, a portrait of George H.W. Bush decorated the Entrance Hall. George H.W. Bush's official White House portrait was painted by Herbert E. Abrams. Biden displayed Obama's official White House portrait in the Entrance Hall during his presidency. Artist Robert McCurdy painted a hyperrealistic portrait of Obama against a white background. The portrait was unveiled in 2023. In April, Trump replaced Obama's portrait with a painting of himself raising a fist into the air after surviving an assassination attempt. The painting, modeled after an Associated Press photo from the Pennsylvania rally where a gunman shot at Trump, was created by South Florida artist Marc Lipp. Obama's portrait was relocated across the hall, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields wrote on X. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Presidential Limousine Once Used by Jackie Kennedy, LBJ Sells for Nearly $300K
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector A rare piece of American political and automotive history has found a new home after selling for nearly $300,000 to a private collector. The vehicle—a 1964 Imperial Crown Presidential Limousine—was once used by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy during President John F. Kennedy's funeral procession and later by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The sale was confirmed Thursday by Daniel Schmitt & Co. Classic Car Gallery, which brokered the deal to a business executive buyer. The limo, custom-built by Chrysler and finished by famed Italian coachbuilder Ghia, is one of only 132 models produced between 1957 and 1965, and one of just 10 specially commissioned by the White House in 1961. 'This is a vehicle with irreplaceable historical significance,' said Daniel Schmitt, owner of the collector car gallery. 'It served a critical role during one of America's most pivotal moments.' Finished in Lemon Twist yellow with a black leather and gray wool interior, the limousine was driven during JFK's funeral procession to Arlington National Cemetery on November 25, 1963. It remained in use by Mrs. Kennedy for nearly a year and was later used by Johnson during his presidency, including his inauguration. With just over 15,000 miles on the odometer, the car remains in remarkably original condition. Features include a 413-cubic-inch V8 engine, power windows, a rear radio control, and two pullout seats in the rear compartment designed for interpreters or aides. The limousine was later returned to Chrysler before passing through several private hands, including a Michigan dealership and an oil company, before joining a world-class collection. 'This is more than a luxury car,' said Schmitt spokesperson Steve Turner. 'It's a rolling artifact of American history.' The car's sale underscores growing demand among collectors for historically significant presidential vehicles. The sale follows similar attention garnered by JFK's more famous parade car, the 1961 Lincoln Continental X-100, which is now on display at The Henry Ford Museum. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
A rare limo that once carried Jackie Kennedy and LBJ just sold to a private collector
A historic presidential limousine used by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy and then by former President Lyndon B. Johnson has sold to a private collector. On Thursday, Daniel Schmitt & Co. Classic Car Gallery in St. Louis said it sold the 1964 Imperial Crown Presidential Limousine to a business executive. The vehicle was built by Chrysler (which is now part of Stellantis) and finished by Ghia of Italy, Schmitt & Co. said in a news release. Schmitt & Co., which is a dealership that acquires rare cars for buyers and sellers, said this limousine was used by Jacqueline Kennedy in November 1963 for the funeral procession to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia when her husband. President John F. Kennedy, was buried following his assassination in Dallas. She used it for a year after that as well. The vehicle was also used in Johnson's inauguration and by the White House motor pool and Johnson on numerous occasions. 'The vehicle is a piece of American history,' said Daniel Schmitt, owner of the collector car gallery. 'Interestingly, it was built on a Chrysler Imperial convertible chassis then shipped to Ghia's facilities in Italy where they were lengthened and reworked by a team of artisans." Schmitt said it took more than a month to complete the customization of the vehicle. Just 132 are known to have been made from 1957 to 1965, with most used in government or executive motor pools. This one sold for "around the asking price of $299,900," Schmitt said. 'We are excited to have secured this special vehicle and sold it to someone who appreciates the importance and rarity of this iconic motorcar,' he added. Schmitt said this vehicle was specially ordered by the White House and is one of only 10 produced in 1961. It has 15,115 actual miles on it. In its original condition, the limo has a 413 cubic-inch V8 engine, with leather black seats up front and gray wool seats in the back. The rear also has two pullout seats for use by interpreters traveling with foreign dignitaries. It has six power windows, rear seat radio control and other amenities. Schmitt has owned it for a few months, buying it from a personal collection. His spokesman said the previous owner did not want to be identified. Schmitt bought the car because, "(He) thought it would be a great piece of history for a museum or someone who really appreciates history and vehicles, and that is why he purchased it, to find the right special person who wished to own it," said Steve Turner, Schmitt's spokesperson. The car has spent some time in Michigan. After the White House was done with it, the vehicle was returned to Chrysler, which auctioned it to Hugh McVeigh, owner of Redford Chrysler, Schmitt said in a statement. McVeigh would sometimes use the car and feature it in his showroom until he realized its historical significance. The car was later acquired by Eppert Oil of Detroit and "used sparingly until eventually joining a world-class collection," Schmitt said. Schmitt & Co. regularly keeps an inventory of about 100 one-of-a-kind automobiles. Schmitt said the dealership has a large selection of 'investment grade' Porsches, Rolls Royces, Ferraris and more. Schmitt has also bought and sold dozens of cars driven and owned by celebrities including Elvis Presley, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Woody Allen, Dean Martin, Robert Redford and Steve McQueen, to name a few. Unlike other dealers of rare cars, Schmitt pays cash to the vehicle's owner rather than listing them on consignment. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, at the age of 46. The open-air limousine he was riding in with the first lady that day was a 1961 Lincoln Continental 4-door convertible code named X-100 by the Secret Service. It was built by Ford at its Lincoln plant in Wixom in January 1961, according to the Henry Ford Museum. Hess & Eisenhardt of Cincinnati customized the car to function as a presidential parade limousine. Hess & Eisenhardt cut it in half, reinforced it, extended it by 3½ feet and made other modifications. Ford and Hess & Eisenhardt collaborated on engineering and styling for the final X-100, which debuted at the White House in June 1961. Ford owned the car and leased it to the Secret Service for $500 per year, but the Henry Ford said it would have sold for $7,347 as equipped at the Lincoln plant at the time. After customizing it, the car cost nearly $200,000. The X-100 remained in service until 1977 and it is now exhibited to the public at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. More: Ford has some pretty famous cars stored in a new fleet in Dearborn: Here's a peek at some More: Canada's autoworker union helping push Ford engines, GM vehicles over border ahead of tariffs Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sold! The limo that once carried Jackie Kennedy and LBJ
